20180501
DISCOURAGEMENT IN MINISTRY
01 MAY, 2018, Tuesday, 5th Week of Easter
Readings
at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: White.
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First reading
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Acts 14:19-28 ©
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They gave an account of how God had opened the door of faith to
the pagans
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Some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium, and turned the people
against the apostles. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the town,
thinking he was dead. The disciples came crowding round him but, as they did
so, he stood up and went back to the town. The next day he and Barnabas went
off to Derbe.
Having
preached the Good News in that town and made a considerable number of
disciples, they went back through Lystra and Iconium to Antioch. They put fresh
heart into the disciples, encouraging them to persevere in the faith. ‘We all
have to experience many hardships’ they said ‘before we enter the kingdom of
God.’ In each of these churches they appointed elders, and with prayer and
fasting they commended them to the Lord in whom they had come to believe.
They passed
through Pisidia and reached Pamphylia. Then after proclaiming the word at Perga
they went down to Attalia and from there sailed for Antioch, where they had
originally been commended to the grace of God for the work they had now completed.
On their
arrival they assembled the church and gave an account of all that God had done
with them, and how he had opened the door of faith to the pagans. They stayed
there with the disciples for some time.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 144(145):10-13a,21 ©
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Your friends, O Lord, shall make known the
glorious splendour of your reign.
or
Alleluia!
All your creatures shall thank you, O Lord,
and your friends shall repeat their blessing.
They shall speak of the glory of your reign
and declare your might, O God,
to make known to men your mighty deeds
and the glorious splendour of your reign.
Your friends, O Lord, shall make known the
glorious splendour of your reign.
or
Alleluia!
Yours is an everlasting kingdom;
your rule lasts from age to age.
Your friends, O Lord, shall make known the
glorious splendour of your reign.
or
Alleluia!
Let me speak the praise of the Lord,
let all mankind bless his holy name
for ever, for ages unending.
Your friends, O Lord, shall make known the
glorious splendour of your reign.
or
Alleluia!
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Gospel Acclamation
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cf.Lk24:46,26
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Alleluia, alleluia!
It was ordained that the Christ should suffer
and rise from the dead,
and so enter into his glory.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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John 14:27-31 ©
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A peace the world cannot give is my gift to you
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Jesus said to his disciples:
‘Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you,
a peace the world cannot give,
this is my gift to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.
You heard me say: I am going away, and shall return.
If you loved me you would have been glad to know that I am going
to the Father,
for the Father is greater than I.
I have told you this now before it happens,
so that when it does happen you may believe.
I shall not talk with you any longer,
because the prince of this world is on his way.
He has no power over me,
but the world must be brought to know
that I love the Father
and that I am doing exactly what the Father told me.’
DISCOURAGEMENT IN MINISTRY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ACTS 14:19-28; PS 144:10-13,21; JOHN 14:27-31
]
Many of us
who are involved in Church ministry, whether as volunteers or full time
collaborators, begin with passion and enthusiasm, lots of excitement and
hope. But after some time, many of us fall into routine. We just
keep on doing the same things over and over again. We lose our zeal and
fervor. We get discouraged or lose hope because of the opposition we get
in ministry. Our superiors and team members oppose our plans. We are
being attacked in everything we seek to do. We are misunderstood.
We see favouritism and discrimination practiced. We experience
injustices. Instead of appreciation and gratitude, we are taken for
granted, or worse still, discredited for all our efforts and sacrifices.
In such a situation, many of us give up serving the Church. Eventually,
some even leave the Church for good because of deep hurts, resentment and
disillusionment.
If we are
feeling discouraged and feel like giving up doing good at home, in workplace
or in church ministry,today we can seek consolation and strength from Paul
and Barnabas. We read of the fortitude and perseverance of St Paul in
proclaiming the gospel. “Some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium, and
turned the people against the apostles. They stoned Paul and dragged him
outside the town, thinking he was dead.” However, he was not dead as they
thought. Instead, “he stood up and went back to the town. The next day he
and Barnabas went off to Derbe.” Paul was undeterred by the opposition and
enemies. He got up and returned to the city to preach the Good
News. They were not afraid of suffering.
What was the
secret of Barnabas’ and Paul’s courage and passion for the preaching of the
gospel? Right from the outset, they were fully conscious that suffering
is part of the ministry. They did not enter into the ministry thinking that it would
be a life of comfort. On the contrary, they were fully aware of the
sacrifices involved, the sufferings ahead of them. They considered
sufferings in the ministry as part of the process of purification in love and a
test of faith. They were clear that “we all have to experience many hardships
before we enter the kingdom of God.”
Unfortunately,
many of us think that serving in Church, taking care of the poor, or just
looking after our family will bring us peace and joy. We think life
would be one of comfort and satisfaction. This could be true but not the
way we think it is. Jesus clarified for us the peace that He came to
bring. He said, “Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you, a
peace the world cannot give, this is my gift to you.” The peace and joy
that Jesus came to bring us is not that of the world’s, where there is no
fighting, no quarrels, no sufferings and no misunderstandings. If we are
looking for such peace, then we are seeking the peace of the world, as in the
absence of conflict and war.
The peace
that Jesus came to bring is peace within the storms of life. Peace is the
consequence of being assured that in any situation God is with us. This was what the
Lord said to the disciples who felt abandoned, knowing that the Lord was
leaving them, “Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. You heard me say:
I am going away, and shall return.” Indeed, Christ returned to be with
them. Again, He gave them this promise, “I will not leave you orphaned; I
am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but
you will see me; because I live, you also will live.” (Jn 14:18f)
Such words were certainly comforting for the apostles because they knew
that they were not alone. Jesus would be with them in a new way, which of
course, we know from hindsight is through the Holy Spirit, for earlier on He
said, “whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and
remind you of all that I have said to you.” (Jn 14:26)
Indeed, the
assurance of God’s presence and love is sufficient to see us through the
difficulties in life. We cannot take away the sorrows and sufferings of people because
most of us have to grow through suffering. To prevent a child from going
through the pains of learning, a young person from the struggles of finding his
or her identity, or a young adult struggling with relationships, would be to
short-change them and hinder them from growing. What they want from us is
not to take away their dignity and deprive them of the opportunity to grow in
knowledge and in maturity. All they need is to feel assured that we are
with them all the way; that we are walking alongside them, nudging them,
encouraging them and praying for them. This is all that is needed for a
person to be strong and to persevere.
That was how
the apostles gave hope and courage to the Christians. “Having
preached the Good News in that town and made a considerable number of
disciples, they went back through Lystra and Iconium to Antioch. They put fresh
heart into the disciples, encouraging them to persevere in the faith.”
Through their own testimonies of how the Lord looked after them in their trials
and how often they escaped death from their enemies, they gave much courage to
their fellow Christians to continue to persevere in their faith in spite of the
oppositions they faced.
But that is
not all. The peace that comes about is not merely the presence of Christ but
the assurance that God will triumph in the end. Jesus said to the
disciples, “I have told you this now before it happens, so that when it does
happen you may believe. I shall not talk with you any longer, because the
prince of this world is on his way. He has no power over me.” At times,
we feel that evil is stronger than goodness, falsehood has an upper hand over
truth, death over life. But this is not the case. We are ignorant
of the path of the wicked. The psalmist says, “Truly you set them in
slippery places; you make them fall to ruin. How they are destroyed in a
moment, swept away utterly by terrors! They are like a dream when one
awakes; on awaking you despise their phantoms.” (Ps 73:18-20)
The devil may
be powerful but only because God allows him. However, he could not
overcome Jesus. He tried to tempt Jesus at the beginning of His ministry
but failed. He continued to tempt Jesus in giving up the ministry but
Jesus showed Himself to be the strongman. Hence, Jesus reminds us, “no
one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property without first tying
up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered.” (Mk 3:27)
So long as we align ourselves with Jesus the strongman of our house, we will be
safe and we will triumph. This is what the responsorial psalm says, “All
your creatures shall thank you, O Lord, and your friends shall repeat their
blessing. They shall speak of the glory of your reign and declare your might, O
God, to make known to men your mighty deeds and the glorious splendour of your
reign. Yours is an everlasting kingdom; your rule lasts from age to age.”
In our
discouragement, we can also take a page from Jesus. He said, “the world
must be brought to know that I love the Father and that I am doing exactly what
the Father told me.” Jesus emptied Himself of His divinity and humanity out of
love for His Father and in obedience to His Father’s will. When we love
someone, we are ready to do anything for that person, even if we have to make sacrifices.
This is true in all forms of love, whether that of parent-child,
teacher-student, priest-parishioner. When we love, all sacrifices and
sufferings are made easier but not taken away because we do not suffer in vain
but for a purpose. St Paul too could give up his whole life for the
gospel simply because as he said, “I have been crucified with
Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives
in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who
loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal 2:19f)
How, then,
can we be strong in Jesus unless we are people who are connected with Christ
through our leaders and fellow brothers and sisters? This explains why
Barnabas and Paul went back through Lystra and Iconium to Antioch. “In
each of these churches they appointed elders, and with prayer and fasting they
commended them to the Lord in whom they had come to believe.” It was
important that they appointed good leaders of faith to lead the people of
God. Without good, exemplary and faith-filled leaders, the sheep would be
led astray or be lost. In everything they did, they commended to the
grace of God.
Besides
having faith-anointed leaders, we need to be connected with our fellow
Christians.
“On their arrival they assembled the church and gave an account of all that God
had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith to the pagans. They
stayed there with the disciples for some time.” Prayer, fasting and testimony
of what God is doing in our lives will help us to find strength in times of
trials and difficulties. If many of us lose faith and hope so easily, it
is because we do not commend ourselves and our activities to the grace of God,
and we do not support each other in faith through sharing and testifying to how
God is working in our lives. Unless we listen and share our faith and how
God is working in our lives, we will not know that He is alive and that He is
still at work in us.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
